The Future
by Joevahkiin
Summary: How can you go into the future to save the present? When Ash's life is torn apart he has to face the darkness of the world without being consumed by it, and only he can stand against the evil that threatens everything he loves. I know, it's a very dramatic summary :p
1. Chapter 1

Ok, so this is my first pokefic and, I'll be honest, I'm using this story more as practice to get my creativity flowing while I plan some other fics. This fic will be mostly unplanned and the editing will probably be quite light, so before you say anything about the quality, I know :p

Again this is more just a filler story while I properly plan out another doc, but I hope you enjoy it. Rate and review!

Dawn broke over Pallet Town. The town was silent save for the tweets of pidgeys and the gentle rustling of the wind. As the sun climbed higher the first rays of light pierced through the curtains and fell onto a sleeping figure's face. Ash groaned slightly and turned, trying to hide from it, but he was already awake. Slowly, he cracked his eyes open and yawned, looking up at the ceiling and letting his thoughts collect. Twenty years old. He couldn't believe how quickly the time had gone; it felt like it was yesterday when he ran to Professor Oak's lab in his pajamas. He sighed wistfully; back then it was so much simpler. Back then it was all just about finding the next new pokemon, now it was an endless quest to beat the next league. He still loved it though; just travelling itself was thrilling, especially with his partner Pikachu, who was dozing in the corner.

His thoughts were broken as the figure next to him shifted, her breath tickling his neck. Ash'a gaze drifted across her freckled face, her soft lips, the flow of her red hair across her neck, her slender body hidden by the bedsheets. He couldn't help but smile just by looking at her; she was so beautiful in her sleep, her normally energetic and wild personality replaced by a calm, peaceful look; that is, until one eye opened and a sly smile twitched the corners of her mouth.

"Watching me sleep again?"

Ash chuckled, "I enjoy it. You're much easier to deal with when you're unconscious" he said, which earned him a playful thump on the shoulder. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips before sinking down and closing her eyes again, her head on his chest.

"Happy Birthday, Ash."

"Thanks, Misty." He looked back up to the ceiling again. "I can't believe how quickly it's all gone by, I still remember my first day, the Johto League, seeing you again at Battle Frontier, all of it like it was yesterday." Misty grinned and snuggled in closer.

"I know, we're so old now." She replied with a soft laugh. "I bet the others feel the same way. Well, maybe apart from Max."

"Yeah." For a while they just lay there in silence, enjoying the quiet together. "Do we have to get up?" Ash eventually asked. "I'd rather just stay here all day." Misty grinned, her eyes still closed. "I know I'm wonderful and all, but I think the others would be pretty annoyed if the birthday boy didn't turn up to his own party."

Ash sighed, "Yeah, I guess, and sat up, withdrawing his arm from under Misty. "And I suppose mum will be cooking breakfast already." As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. Misty giggled. "I swear your stomach has a mind of its own."

"Shut up." Ash teased in response and stood up, but before he could move Misty grabbed his hand in hers. "Wait." She said softly, Ash turned to see her looking up at him, the bed sheet around her waist, with a smile that was both sleepy and seductive. "I haven't give you your birthday present yet."

Ash grinned, and let himself be pulled down into her embrace.

Eventually, they both came downstairs, where Ash was immediately tackled by Delia and Mr Mime in a bone-crunching hug.

"My little boy is twenty years old!" she squealed, "You've grown up so much since you left home."

"Mum...can't...breathe." Ash managed to choke out until she finally released him, leaving him to cough as she dashed over to the stove. "Breakfast is almost ready, sit yourselves down, this is going to be the best breakfast you've ever eaten."

Ash and Misty shared a look; she was clearly going to be this hyper all day. Just as breakfast was about to be served Misty saw a shadow pass over the window, and heard the thud of something large landing outside. "What the..." She got up and went over to the door, opening it. She gasped. "Ash, come look."

"What is it?" but his confusion turned to joy at what he saw. "Charizard! Pidgeot! Butterfree!"

The three Pokemon stood outside, enormous grins on their faces, as Ash ran over to them and caught them in a group hug. "Did you guys come to visit for my birthday?" They nodded enthusiastically. "Thanks guys, come join us for breakfast. I'll get some pokefood." but just as he turned away the ground began to rumble. He looked for where it was coming from, but all he could see was a huge cloud of dust. He squinted to try and see better, but they opened wide when he realised that it was the rest of his Pokemon stampeding towards him.

"Hey guys," he yelled, slightly nervous as they charged closer and closer with no sign of stopping, but they came to a halt just in front of him and soon he was surrounded, each one of them giving their own little greeting.

"Thanks for coming guys," he said as he disentangled himself from Bayleef's vines, "but how did you get out of the lab?"

"Well it's only a small wooden fence around the outside, they stay because I look after them well." Said a kindly voice from behind the crowd.

"Professor Oak," Ash said, greeting him with a handshake, "thank you for bringing them all."

"I couldn't have stopped them if I wanted to, my boy." Oak said warmly, "they've been dying to see you. Don't worry: I've brought enough Pokemon food for this lot."

"Thanks, please join us for breakfast yourself." Ash looked around at the large crowd of Pokemon. "Uh, mom? I think we may have to have breakfast outside."

"I must say, Delia," the Professor began as he put down his fork, "that was the best meal I have had in a long time."

"Thank you, Sam." She replied, blushing.

"Yeah it was really great, mum." Ash added. "You must have really worked hard on it."

"Oh anything for you dear." She said, and locked him in a bear hug, planting a kiss on his cheek. Misty and the Professor tried not to laugh as Ash blushed heavily, but it was cut short by a voice in the distance.

"Hey, we didn't miss the party, did we?"

They all turned to see, in the distance, Brock, Tracey, Gary, May, Max and Dawn walking towards them.

"Guys! You're here!" Yelled Ash in joy.

"Of course we are, Ashy-boy, we couldn't miss your twentieth."

Ash smiled; Gary would never let that nickname drop as long as he lived. "Well come on then, we've got a party to start." He replied with a grin.

Delia stood up and called to them. "I hope you're hungry, I made so much food even Ash couldn't finish it." The group laughed in response, while Ash sweatdropped.

Once everyone was inside Ash put some music on and everyone started catching up on what had been happening in their lives. In the last year Ash had only seen Brock and Gary out of all of them.

"I'm training more and more to become a proper co-ordinator." Said Dawn. "I want to make sure I'm ready before any big competitions."

"That's fan-" Ash began, but was cut short by his mother.

"Everyone! Presents time!" Everyone quickly scrambled through their bags. From Brock Ash got a fossilised piece of Amber, which had a tiny bug in the centre. "Since you're always after new Pokemon" he said "I figured I'd add a bit of mystery to your gift, you'll find out what it is if you take it to Cinnabar."

From Tracey he got a collection of sketches of rare Pokemon he had seen on his travels. Max got him a full set of Legendary Pokemon figurines. Ash couldn't help but smile; although he tried to hide it Max was still a bit of a kid. Gary got him a copy of Cynthia Shirona's latest battle techniques - her latest book. May gave him a new jacket, one that was black with red trim, and a matching cap. Dawn got him a crystal model of a pikachu midway through a Volt Tackle, which the real Pikachu was very impressed with.

"Now sweetie." Delia said to Ash "I wanted this to be something really special for your twentieth, sooooo..." She let the sentence trail, and ended it by holding up a set of car keys.

"No..." Ash was stunned.

"Yep." His mother proudly replied, and this time it was Ash who tackled Delia into a hug, to the collective 'awww's of the room.

"Best. Mum. Ever."

After they broke off Ash surveyed everything he had gotten: it was a pretty impressive haul. "Thank you so much guys, this is incredible."

"Hey, we're not finished yet!" Said Misty, indignant. "This is my gift." She handed him a small box. He opened it. Inside there were two pieces of paper. He looked at them.

"These are.." His eyes went wide. "These are cruise tickets for the SS Anne 2. How did you get these?"

"Never you mind, I wanted it to be something special so I pulled some strings."

"This is unbelievable, hey Brock, want to go on a cruise with me?" He said before smiling cheekily back at Misty, who had already gone red with anger. The others couldn't help but laugh. "Well, thank you everyone." Ash began again, but was stopped yet again.

"Actually, Ash, there is one more present." Said Professor Oak, and they all turned to look at him. "But first, there is a little bit of a story behind it." Gary groaned inwardly; his grandfather's stories had a history of lasting far longer than planned.

"Many years ago, when I first became a Pokemon professor I was very well renowned for my research, and as a result of that I made some friends in rather high places. Specifically, one Charles Goodshow, who I assume you have all at least heard of." They all nodded. "Well, Charles and I have been friends for many years, but it was only a few years ago that he gave me this." He produced a small, elegant wooden box which bore the official Pokemon League stamp." Ash Stared at it. "What is it?"

"A very powerful item. Charles told me that they were made as league prizes, but were eventually scrapped for giving trainers an unfair advantage over others. This is the only one that remains; the rest are locked up in a vault somewhere, but Charles gave this one to me, and told me that I should give it to the trainer who I deem most worthy of it." He looked at Ash, a kindly smile on his face. "I have seen your exploits on TV, and I have seen how well you care for your Pokemon back here at the lab. After ten years I have decided that you are the one who deserves this." And with that, he opened the lid of the box. Everyone craned over to look inside.

The box held a pokeball, but it was different from any colour they had seen before. Instead of being red, or blue, or yellow and black it was purple, and it had a small "m" written just above the centre.

It was a master ball.

Stunned silence filled the room, with a mix of awe, jealousy and wonder. None of them knew what to say.

"Professor..." Ash eventually said. "This is... This is..."

Oak started to grow a little worried. "Do you not like it?"

"No, no, I love it, but- are you sure I'm the right person?"

"I've never been more certain. I've seen many trainers over the years, but you are the one who has impressed me the most."

Ash reached out and ran his fingers over the ball's surface, he picked it up and examined it: it was an excellently well made pokeball, the edges were covered in strange, minute patterns that were clearly the work of some master craftsman. "I...thanks, Professor. This is incredible."

"You earned it, my boy."

"Well," Gary said, breaking the strange silence that had filled the air, "whilst I am sick with jealousy, I think gramps made a good choice. Now then, let's get this party started!" And, seemingly from nowhere, Gary produced some party poppers and showered them all in streamers. They all cheered in approval and got up to prepare. Food was brought out and everyone started chatting and mingling. Ash gathered his presents and took them up to his room. Whilst arranging them on his desk he couldn't help but linger on the master ball. He still couldn't believe he had it, and he wondered what Pokemon he would catch with it. His thoughts were broken as he heard the door open behind him.

"Is Mr Pokemon Master hiding from his own party?" Misty teased, hugging him from behind. Ash smiled and put his hands on hers. "I'll be down in a sec, it's just these gifts have blown me away." He twisted around in her grip so that he was facing her, "And how did you manage to get hold of two tickets to the most luxury cruise liner in the world?"

Misty snorted in laughter, "You always seem to forget that I'm a gym leader. Every leader gets a two week holiday once a year, paid for partly by the league. I never bothered before since it was just me, and I didn't fancy taking my sisters, but now," she leaned in closer to him "I have you to go with."

Ash smiled and leaned in for a long, emotion-filled kiss. Slowly he pulled away and looked into her eyes. "I love you so much, you know that right?" She smiled back. "I love you too, Ash."

And then, the world rippled.

At first Ash thought he imagined it, but then it happened again, everything rippled like the world was a pond and somebody had dropped a stone in it. He frowned, but suddenly he was punched in the gut by a churning, roiling nausea. He pushed himself away from Misty and bent double, feeling like he was about to vomit.

"Ash? What's wrong?" Came Misty's panicked voice, but it sounded like it was far away. He saw her turn to get help but he grabbed her by the arm and, as fast as it had arrived, the feeling vanished and he felt normal again. He stood up slowly and took several deep breaths. It was as if the pain had never been there.

"Ash, what he hell was that?"

"I don't know, I suddenly just felt really sick, but then it went away." He added a nervous laugh to try and ease the mood. Misty sighed in frustration.

"I told you, you eat so much that one day your stomach isn't gonna keep up. Don't scare me like that."

Ash looked into her eyes; under her tomboyish bravado he could see that she had been really scared for a moment. "I'm sorry, Mist. I'll make sure I don't eat so much again." Yeah, that must have been what caused it, he thought to himself. "Well, shall we go join the others now?"

A small smile returned to her face. "Fine, lets go." And she walked out of the door, but as Ash turned to follow her he caught a glimpse of something out the window, a flash of purple hair before it disappeared out of sight.

"Is that..." He said to himself, before heading downstairs to the front door.

"Paul, um, I didn't expect to see you here." In the doorway stood Ash's old rival Paul. He had grown a little since Ash had last seen him, but that hair and that scowl was impossible to miss.

"Nice to see you too." Paul responded drily.

"Sorry," Ash recovered "it's just a surprise, is all."

"Yeah well, I was in the area. Is everyone here?"

A wicked grin crossed Ash's face. "You mean 'is Dawn here?'"

Paul suppressed a twitch. "Yes." He said through gritted teeth.

"Well I don't know," it was wasn't like Ash to enjoy someone's suffering, but for Paul he could let it slide. "She might be. What's it worth."

Paul sighed before pulling out a pokeball. "Happy Birthday Ash."

Ash stared at it. "You got me a pokeball?"

"Scan it you idiot."

He pulled out his pokedex and activated the scan function. After a moment a picture of the Pokemon inside appeared.

"Paul, this is a Dratini."

"Yep. You're welcome. Can I come in now?"

"Where the hell did you get a Dratini?" He asked incredulously, ignoring his question.

"Never mind, anyway-"

"Hang on, Dratinis aren't normally pink. Is this-"

"Look, Just forget about it, I wouldn't have got it if you were gonna make such a fuss."

Ash couldn't help but smile. "Thanks Paul. Come on." Without another word Paul walked past and into the living room, Ash just stared at the Pokedex screen, ignoring the mixed reaction coming from the living room at Paul's entrance. The Dratini was clearly well looked after, but why had Paul given him such a rare Pokemon? While they no longer hated each other they weren't exactly friends. He made a mental note to ask him again later.

The world rippled again.

Ash closed his eyes trying not to panic. What was causing this? Maybe it was just-

This thoughts were torn away by the roaring, blinding pain, this time behind his eyes instead of his stomach. Ash clenched his fists and tried not to scream; he didn't want to alert the others. It would pass soon, he thought, but it didn't, it seemed to be building. He couldn't think, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. He sunk to the floor, tears squeezing out of his clenched eyelids. The pain wasn't stopping, it was getting worse, Ash tried to touch his head, to ease the pain, but his forehead was too hot to touch, like there was a fire burning inside his head. What little thought he could manage begged for it to stop, anything to make it go away.

And suddenly, it did.

Ash looked up, feeling like he was hungover, and wiped the sweat of his brow.

"Pikaa." Came a soft, worried voice from beside him. Ash noticed the small yellow paw resting on his arm, and looked up at Pikachu.

"Thanks Pikachu," he said as he scooped the Pokemon up in his arms and hugged her. "What the hell is happening to me?"

Pikachu nuzzled into his shoulder and murmured quietly. For a moment Ash just held her, letting his breath steady and his muscles relax.

"Hey Ash, who's this guy?" Said Gary from behind him. "Hey, are you ok buddy?" Ash turned to face him, a broad smile already appearing.

"Yeah I'm fine. That's Paul, and old rival of mine. I wasn't expecting him to turn up either."

"Oh, well come on, he seems alright but the reception he's getting is kinda frosty. You could probably help smooth things over."

"Sure thing." Ash replied, and followed him in.

A while later everything was flowing smoothly. It was a rather chilled out party but everyone was enjoying themselves, possibly due to the wine and beer that May had broken out. Delia seemed to be enjoying the wine quite a lot, Ash noticed, as she progressively got more and more giggly. He sighed, knowing he'd probably have to drag her to her bed later.

"Hey, Ash." Said Misty in his ear, clearly a little drunk. "Come with me a sec." She pulled him off the couch and dragged him away before he could say anything.

"Misty, what-" he began as they entered the hall, but before he could finish as pushed him up against the wall and kissed him passionately. Ash was surprised but sank into it, enjoying her closeness. Misty didn't stop until she needed air, eventually pulling away and resting her head on his. "I just wanted to do that, is all." She said dreamily. Ash grinned. "Well I want to do this." He said and leaned in again.

But then the world rippled.

He had the tiniest moment of fear before every nerve in his body exploded in white hot agony. He screamed and fell to the floor, and began convulsing. Misty screamed, but he didn't hear it, he didn't hear the others rush in, or the panicked voices, or May rushing to the phone. He didn't even notice Pikachu, Misty and Delia run to his side and try to hold him down. He was lost in his own mindless hell. He screamed and screamed and screamed, but the pain didn't end, it only got worse.

"May, get an ambulance." Yelled Delia, before Ash's flailing grew too wild and he smashed her in the face with his arm. She jerked back and fell over, unconscious.

"Pikachu, calm him down." Screamed Misty as she turned to pull Delia out of the way. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's chest and cling on.

"Piiikaaachuuu!" She screamed as she fired a thundershock to try and calm him down, but to Ash it was like a pinprick in an inferno. Then ash started to glow.

"What on Earth?" Cried Oak, panic in his voice. Everyone froze as Ash's whole body glowed in white light that grew brighter and brighter.

"What's happening?" Tracey whispered to himself.

To Ash it was a just a blessed end to the pain, but to the others the light grew to bright to bear. They covered their eyes and, and cried out to him.

"Pikaaaa!" was the last thing they heard before, after an enormous flash, Ash and Pikachu completely disappeared.

Everything was suddenly silent, everyone staring at the empty space where Ash and Pikachu had been. Only the sound of a voice from the phone broke the silence. Misty stared into thin air, her eyes blank.

"Ash?"

Ash opened his eyes and grimaced. He felt like he had fallen off of a waterfall in a barrel. He sat up and looked around; everything around him was a thick fog. There was nothing else apart from Pikachu, who was out cold next to him. Ash nudged her but she didn't move. Ash could see her chest moving slowly, so he let her sleep.

"Where am I?" He said to himself. "Am I...dead?"

"Not quite, Ash Ketchum." said a deep, booming voice from behind him. As scrambled to his feet and turned around. There was nothing there. "Who are you?" Ash yelled. "Show yourself."

From out of the fog, Ash caught sight of something huge moving closer. From out of the fog loomed an enormous Pokemon, it's colour deep blue and metallic silver.

"What..." was all Ash could say.

"My name is Dialga." Boomed the enormous Pokemon, it's voice full of grandeur and sorrow. "And I am very sorry for what I have done."

So what do you think for the first chapter? Rate and review below and, since I'm doing this on the fly, if you have anything that might add to the plot feel free to drop me a message. Thanks :)


	2. Chapter 2 (edit)

Hello again guys. How did you like chapter 1? Please review so I can see what you guys think of it.

In response to Aaml's review:

My bad, I actually thought Pikachu's gender was unconfirmed, I'll go back and edit it at some point but for now I shall change it in future chapters.

I actually thought I was being over descriptive, so that's good to know.

Anyways, chapter 2 is up, so enjoy.

*edit - I'm currently working on the next chapter but I realised I included Team Plasma by mistake. I have chosen not to include the Kalos and Unova Series in the story. Kalos because I haven't seen it yet, and Unova because it was awful and I hated it. Apologies. Chapter 4 coming soon.

Dialga. The enormous legendary Pokemon and master of Time itself stood before Ash Ketchum silently. It towered over him like some kind of deep blue monolith, it's edges a cold, burnished silver that looked as if no amount of heat could ever melt them. The Pokemon exuded power; it seemed to literally seep from its pores, and Ash knew that if he angered it he would stand no chance against it, he would be dead before he could even twitch. But then, he thought, even if he did stand a chance, this was a Pokemon that could stop him from ever being born and therefore stop him from challenging it. His head hurt, but he wasn't sure if it was just from thinking about time. Sheer awe rendered Ash speechless, he just stared at it waiting for it to speak.

"I imagine that you have questions." It began in a voice that boomed with he power of aeons.

"Um, yes." Ash managed to reply, slowly finding his voice. "Where am I?"

"Nowhere, no-when, this place exists outside of time. I brought you here." While its voice was powerful it seemed stilted. Ash figured that Dialga didn't speak to a lot of people.

"You... You were the one that causing the rippling? And the pain?"

Dialga paused every time before he spoke. "I apologise for that. It is not an easy feat to rip someone out of time, even for me, and especially someone who has had so much impact on the world."

"Have I had that much of an impact?"

"You are surprised? Think of all the people you have met, the lives you have changed, the Pokemon you have saved."

Ash thought back through his past. He supposed he had helped a lot of people. "Why have you brought me here?" He was surprisingly calm, he noticed; maybe he was in shock, or dreaming.

"I brought you here because I need your help and you need mine."

This really was a curveball for Ash. He stood there in shock for a moment. "You need my help?"

"I do."

"Why? You are the legendary Pokemon of time and, well, I'm just a trainer." Ash was baffled. Dialga shifted a little and made a strange whooshing noise. Ash realised it was a sigh.

"I must warn you that what I am about to tell you will upset you. I want you to think back through your travels and think about all the people and Pokemon you have met. Think of their lives, their personality, and think about how their lives changed for the better because of you. Every being you have befriended, from legendary Pokemon to human children, has benefitted in some way from you. However," Dialga paused, seeming to choose his words carefully. Ash just stared, transfixed.

"Throughout your endeavours you have come into contact with some of the most dangerous criminal organisations on the planet. Rocket, Magma, Aqua, Galactic; in some way you have hindered or disrupted their plans, and they have grown tired of it. In what you call the present they recently held a meeting where they identified the greatest threats to their organisation and you were one of their top priorities. This is why I have brought you here."

Ash kept silent, taking it all in. This was so much to handle, and he had no idea how to respond. Dialga wasn't finished, however.

"Three hours from your time a division of Team Rocket, assisted by Team Aqua, will attack Pallet Town. They will raze the town to the ground and many will die, including you."

Ash's heart stopped beating. He sunk to the floor, suddenly feeling like he was about to throw up. This couldn't be real; everything had been going so well. It was a dream. It must be. He clutched his head as if to somehow dispel the terror. His breath came short and ragged and he stared at the ground blankly. Trying to process the information. He was going to die. He was going to die. He was-

Suddenly all the emotions tearing through Ash's mind flatlined: as if someone had flipped a switch he was suddenly devoid of feeling. He stood up calmly and looked at the huge form of Dialga.

"I calmed you. I did not bring you hear just to inform you of your doom, and I need you to focus." Dialga intoned. "This is the reason that I brought you here. While I said you will die that is a technicality; shortly after your death you will be revived in Viridian General Hospital. This, combined with the deaths of your friends and family, will change you. You become harsher and eventually you become what you were trying to fight. I have brought you here to prevent this. I will prevent your death by taking you out of time and will return you to it after the event has passed."

Ash processed this with cold logic. "I see." Was all he said, his mind still numbed by Dialga's power. His voice was flat and monotone but in the distant corners of his brain he could feel outrage, fury and fear burning away, unable to release themselves. "Why have you only saved me?"

"Every time I change events in history I alter the future. Removing you has already caused too many changes; had I taken your friends as well I could have destabilised the future completely. You are more important than them."

Ash felt the distant anger flare. His next question came to him. "Couldn't you have just prevented the Teams from being created?"

"Again, the changes to the timeline would be too drastic."

"The only way to do this was by saving me and letting the others die?"

"I have looked at every possibility and examined every outcome. This option seems to have the least impact."

Ash paused. "Seems to?"

Dialga's head tilted and it looked away. Ash realised that Dialga was slightly embarrassed. "You are a very unusual person, Ash Ketchum. You have had such a huge impact on the world in such a short space of time. It makes your future difficult to predict. Most humans are born, quietly go about their lives and die. Their future is easy to see. Yours is not."

Inwardly Ash was flattered that even the Master of Time couldn't predict him, but the dampening power wouldn't let him show it. "When I return I assume you want to me to hunt the teams down.

"You assume correctly, although I am sure you would do so regardless of what I say. I removed your possessions and Pokemon along with you, and I have placed them in a pocket of time for training. When you return to the timeline it will be as if they have spent the whole time training. Once the Teams believe they have eliminated you they will go after the elites and champions. Whilst they are strong the Teams will eventually defeat them. After that I do not know what their plan is, but it will be very dangerous, Ash. It will threaten all Pokemon and humans. In the future I have seen visions of a construct of great destructive power. You will need to be careful."

"I will." Ash felt the power in his mind ease and his emotions moved closer, hesitant like an animal being let out of a cage. "So I will return to my world a few days after I left?"

"Actually no; there are only certain points in history where people can exit and enter the timeline. The next opportunity will be three years after you left."

"Three years?" Ash cried, his emotions gaining more ground. "How am I supposed to stop the teams when they are three years ahead of me?"

"By doing whatever it takes, Ash. This is the only option left. Find what friends remain to you, you will need them."

"Wait," Ash was confused. "I thought they had all..." He gulped. "Died."

"All but a few, but those will not be easy to find."

"Why didn't you say that before?"

"I said many would die, I did not say all." Dialga's tone clearly showed that these people were nothing to it.

"Well, you know what?" Ash spat, his temper breaking free. "Be more fucking specific next time. Don't fucking mess me around when it comes to my friends and family; they mean more to me than everyone else on the planet and I will not listen to you talk about them like they are bacteria."

"Pika!" Came a sudden cry of support from Pikachu, who had been listening in quietly for a while.

The fog surrounding them grew very dark and thunder rumbled in the distance. Dialga seemed to grow in size and towered over Ash and Pikachu. Ash gulped, suddenly remembering the power of the creature that stood before him.

"Watch your tongue, boy. I do not care about your friends. I do not care about your family. I do not care about your feelings. I care only about protecting the future and you will help do so, irregardless of your feelings. Do you understand?"

Ash swallowed his pride and his rage. "Yes."

Everything grew quiet and calm again. "Good. Prepare yourself, for you will be leaving soon." As Dialga spoke the world rippled like it had before. "It will not hurt this time."

"Wait." Ash cried out as his body became transparent. "I'm not ready. Can you at least give me some advice?"

The world rippled again. "Your remaining friends will be invaluable." Was Dialga's reply. "Seek them at all costs."

"Is that all you can give me?"

"Yes."

Ash stared at the Pokemon God, not sure if it was being rude or not. "You son of a-" he began, but disappeared before he could finish.

Dialga stood in silence alone. "Good luck, Ketchum."

Ash opened his eyes to see the evening sky above him. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky was tinted a faint red, with a few stars glimmering in the distance. He could feel Pikachu on his lap, so he sat up and petted him. The yellow rodent growled softly in pleasure. Looking around, Ash saw he was on a small hill, which looked familiar. The tree nearby looked very familiar, but what seemed to be headstones beneath it he didn't recognise. They looked well-

Slow, numbing dread filled his gut in one, agonising punch. Ash prayed silently that they weren't what he thought, but he already knew the truth. Pikachu whimpered softly and hopped onto Ash's shoulder as he got up. Ash moved closer, every step an eternity until, finally, he could read the names on the graves.

Dawn Berlitz

Brock Harrison

May Maple

Max Maple

Tracey Sketchit

Prof. Samuel Oak

Delia Ketchum

'Loved by friends and family all. May their names be remembered forever.'

As Ash knelt silently in the grass before them, he promised them that they would, and wept.

Sorry that took so long guys. I have a busy job XD Anyways, please review and look forward to the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the support guys, keep following and reviewing :) I'm not sure how the pacing is going to change as I progress with this story, as I said its at only partly planned, but hey, I'll just keep writing for now :)

That night was long and cold. For hours Ash just sat there in silence, staring hollowly at the graves. Pikachu tried to get his attention several times, even shocking him once, but barely got a response. He could see in Ash's eyes that he wasn't really there; he was inside his own head endlessly going through his memories of them.

Brock's home cooking.

Tracey's curiosity and detailed sketches.

Max's fighting spirit.

May's determination.

Dawn's artistic Pokemon displays.

Prof. Oak giving him Pikachu.

His mother, just everything about his mother.

Ash couldn't cry anymore, his tears had ran out.

It was only when rays on sunlight appeared over the hills that he finally stirred. Pikachu, who had been sitting quietly, jumped in surprise: he grieved too, but having Ash helped. Ash stood up slowly, his joints clicking from stiffness, and looked around. He had realised earlier that this hill was where his house should have been, he figured it had been destroyed in the attack and hadn't been rebuilt out of respect. Looking over Pallet Town he saw people just beginning to stir, getting ready for a normal day. Ash envied them. He leant against the tree and thought about what he should do. Deep down he knew he should go down there: Dialga had told him he needed to find his friends and, through his grief, he had noticed three people were missing from the graves - Gary, Paul and Misty. A tiny ember of hope burned within his chest that he could find them. He desperately wanted to see them but he was scared of what he might find. Then a worrying thought occurred to him: there was no grave for him, so people didn't think he was dead, but he had disappeared just before the... the event. Did people think he was involved somehow? Panic worked its way into the corners of his mind, but he calmed himself. They probably didn't even remember him. Taking a deep breath, he started walking down the hill.

"Let's go find Gary, Pikachu."

"Pikaa." Came a soft reply.

Nobody paid him any notice as he walked through the town. It was strange; to him he had only been here yesterday but everything seemed to have changed. Some of the houses were deserted, the quaint pubs had been replaced by bars, there was a lot more litter in the streets. The whole town seemed run down, he wondered what had changed it. Pikachu shared his mood, looking around gloomily.

"It's okay Pikachu, it's not like we have a home here anymore." Ash said bitterly. Pikachu didn't respond. Oak Laboratory loomed in the distance and Ash felt a pang of guilt. It was his fault. It was his fault that- no, he couldn't think that way or he would never have the courage to knock on the door. He reached the gate and paused, staring at the lab.

"I wonder how he will react, if he is even in." He said softly. "Still, what's the worst that can happen?" He replied to himself, only half joking. Taking a deep breath, he walked up the driveway and knocked on the door.

"Just a sec." Came a muffled voice from inside. Ash gulped, his stomach churning. Too late to go back now. He stood there as he heard footsteps grow near and the door rattled. Slowly it opened and Gary put his head round the door.

"If you're looking for..." He began, but tailed off as he saw who it was. He stared at Ash silently, speechless.

"Uh, hey Gary." Was all Ash could think to say as he smiled awkwardly. For a moment more Gary just gawked at him. "Ash?" He whispered, incredulous.

Ash chuckled slightly. "Yeah. Uh, how are you?"

Gary didn't seem to hear him. "Ash?"

"Yeah, it's me Gary. I-"

Ash's next sentence turned into a muffled yelp as Gary leapt forward and seized him in a bear hug, his hold stronger than a Pinsir's Vicegrip attack. Ash managed to slip his arms out and return the hug.

"Holy fucking Arceus, Ash, where have you been?" Gary mumbled over Ash's shoulder.

"It's a long story."

"It better be." Gary pulled away and Ash saw his eyes were wet. "Come in, you've got a lot of explaining to do."

"If I hadn't seen you literally disappear in your hallway three years ago." Gary said slowly, sitting in his desk chair. "I'd say you were feeding me total Tauros shit."

Ash chuckled. "I know, I'm surprised you accepted it so easily." Gary hadn't spoken as Ash told his story, he just sat there and listened, not giving anything away.

"Well, I did some research after you vanished. What happened to you has happened a few times in recorded history, but their wild explanations seem pretty mundane by comparison." For a moment neither of them spoke. "It's good to have you back, Ashy-boy."

Ash smiled at the old nickname. "Thanks. What have you been doing while I was gone?"

"I took over Gramp's work; someone had to look after all the Pokemon. Daisy helps as well when she is around, she's doing a lot of travelling. Other than that, just research - I've been looking into criminal activity across Kanto, trying to see if I can find anything concrete. Not much luck though, the Rockets are keeping themselves well hidden."

Ash nodded. "Listen, Gary, I know the basics, but could you tell me what happened after...after I left? I need to know what they did."

Gary's smile turned brittle. "You deserve to know I suppose." He looked away, pain clear in his eyes. He sat back in his chair, taking a swig of the coffee on his desk. "A couple hours after you vanished a group of men turned up, half dressed in Rocket outfits, half in Aqua. There were a couple of Jennys hanging around; they had turned up when we filed a Missing Persons case, but they were shot before they could even react. Then once of the Aqua guys, a big guy with a beard, started screaming, demanding we tell them where you were, but we couldn't answer. What explanation could we give that they would believe? Gramps tried to reason with them but they didn't care, it actually made them angrier, he even offered them his Pokemon collection to spare us but they still didn't care. Five of the grunts shot him. His blood went everywhere. I still remember the taste of it in my mouth. The man in charge said his name was Archie and he wasn't leaving until we gave you up. We didn't, couldn't answer. I was so scared I couldn't speak. Next he turned on May. Max. Tracey. Misty. Paul. Then me." Gary stopped, visibly shaking and breathing heavily. He had been staring at the floor as he spoke. Ash wanted to tell him to stop, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. "I was lucky; the bullet missed anything major but it lodged under my heart. The doctors said it was too dangerous to remove it. It still hurts sometimes. It gets hazy after that. I remember Dawn crying and then a gunshot. Then everything was quiet. The only person left was...was Delia. I could see he put of the corner of my eye; she stood there silently, staring the thugs down. She was crying, but she looked so strong. She didn't speak, or even cry out when they shot her. Everything started to go dark for me, and I heard that guy Archie tell the grunts to burn the house down. After that I woke up In Viridian General Hospital a few days later. That's all I remember, and I remember too much."

For a few minutes neither of them spoke, both just sat in silence, Gary slowly calming himself. Gary wiped the tears from his face and looked up. "That's what happened."

Ash continued to look at the floor. "I'm sorry." He said, his voice very quiet. "I shouldn't have asked you."

"If I hadn't told you then someone else would have."

Ash stood up, shaking. Gary paled at the look in his eyes. "They won't go unpunished, Gary, I promise you." In Ash's face Gary saw absolute, unbridled rage and a terrible sorrow. He knew the answer, but he asked. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to kill them."

Once upon a time Gary would have been appalled, but not any more. "Good. You should probably head to Indigo Plateau first; there have been rumours circling for a while about Rocket activity in that area."

"Thanks, but there's somewhere else I need to go first. Do you know where Paul and Misty are?"

Gary shrugged. "No-ones seen or heard from Paul since it happened; he left the hospital almost as soon as he came to, despite being heavily injured. As for Misty, last I heard he was back at Cerulean Gym, we haven't spoken much since then. I know you'll want to see her, Ash, but be careful - what happened hit her hard, and she never really got over it."

Ash nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Gary."

Gary smiled. "Anything for you, Ashy-boy." Ash grinned back as he turned towards the window. And looked out over the town. "What happened to this place anyway?"

Gary got up and joined him by the window. "Major gang attacks tend to give places a bad reputation. The nicer people left in fear and less...wholesome people were drawn to it. It's really gone downhill since then. I thought of leaving myself, but after I took over Gramp's work there didn't seem much point."

Ash nodded. "Gary, I'll understand either way, but when I get a lead I call you, if you want revenge."

Gary was silent for a moment. "I'll think about it. I'll look after your other Pokemon while you are gone, if you want to change them out just call me."

"Thanks." Ash headed for the door.

"It's getting late." Gary called after him. "You can stay the night if you want."

"Thanks, but I want to get to Cerulean as soon as possible."

Gary nodded and followed him outside. Ash stood in the garden and pulled out a pokeball. "Come on out Charizard." With a roar the enormous orange lizard emerged, letting off a gout of flame. Ash's eyes widened in surprise; Charizard had always been tough, but now his muscles bulged and his scales glimmered with power. Ash was almost unnerved when the Pokemon lowered his head and nuzzled him gently. "I missed you too buddy." Ash stroked his head. "Fancy a fly?" Charizard raised his head again and roared in approval. Ash climbed on his back and Pikachu settled just behind his head. Ash was about to take off when he turned to look at Gary again. "Gary, if you could have given me up back then, would you?"

Gary tensed, but then relaxed and sighed. "I would have, Ash, I'm sorry."

Ash nodded. "I don't blame you. If I were you I would have. Well, don't be a stranger." And with that Ash nudged Charizard with his foot and they took off, soaring up into the air.

"That's rich coming from you!" Ash heard from below, he looked back to see Gary waving, and couldn't help but smile. Enjoying the thrill of the height and the speed Ash settled into the great lizard's back. "To Cerulean, Charizard. We're going to see Misty."

Indigo Plateau was a logstical nightmare; a place constantly filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of people and countless shops and stalls created and endless amount of paperwork. Charles Goodshow sighed as yet another stack was planted on his desk, and he picked up his well-worn Mont Moone pen.

"Surely we could have found a way to streamline this by now?" He said to Lorelei as she turned to head back to her desk. The tall, serene lady pushed her glasses up her nose in response. "Well if you would ever transfer to computer-based technology we could. A site like this could easily support a vast databank system with enough ram to-."

"Yes, yes, alright." He interrupted, not wishing for her to continue. This was a common line of conversation, but Charles hated computers, so the cycle repeated itself ad infinitum. He knew that large portions of the workload was taken care of by Lorelei and her secretaries, but at his age he still felt overworked. Signing sheet after sheet, he resigned himself to a long evening.

"By the way." He said without looking up. "I'm still seeing those shady-looking characters on the security cameras around the plateau. I thought we upped security? I don't want potential Rockets lurking around our customers."

"We are doing what we can." Lorelei replied from her desk, resting her hands on its ancient mahogany. "But you can't arrest someone for looking shady. And that's if we can even find them; most of the time they disappear before we can get near them."

Charles clenched his first. "I'm not one for taking the law into my own hands but-" he stopped speaking when he heard commotion outside his office door. Both of them looked over, and Lorelei was halfway to standing when the door burst open and two men walked in. Both were dressed in black outfits with a large, red 'R' on their chest. Lorelei leapt to her feet, reaching for a pokeball but immediately she was staring down the barrel of a silenced pistol.

"Move and you die." Said the grunt in the harsh voice of a heavy smoker. "Sit." Lorelei sat back down and watched helplessly as she was relinquished of her pokeballs. The other grunt aimed an identical pistol and Charles, and he immediately felt a warmth spread between his legs.

"Oh my..." Was all he could manage.

The grunt near Lorelei turned his head towards the door. "Clear." He barked, and in walked two men. One of them was very tall, and was dressed in a bright red outfit, with both his hair and glasses matching the colour. He looked around the room imperiously. The other man was a little shorter, was dressed in a tan suit and looked far more meanacing. He never took his eyes of Charles as he sat down in front of his desk.

"Giovanni." Goodshow gasped. Giovanni gave a wicked smile in response. "It's good that you remember me, Charles." He said, his voice smooth and cultured. "This will make things a lot simpler." He leaned forward and looked into his eyes. "I have a business proposition for you. One that I seriously doubt you can refuse."

So, whaddya think? I'm really getting into this now so please keep letting me know how you think it's going. Thanks for reading, please review :)


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reviewing people. As you have probably noticed I need a little work on my pacing, so I am gonna try and make this chapter more dramatic, with more emphasis on description in dramatic situations, if I go over the top let me know and I'll find a balance :)

Damien - there are twenty Pokemon films. I have seen three. So no, I didn't know that. When so much of the Pokemon universe is already developed I don't feel guilty missing a detail. If I write something that conflicts with official canon it's safe to assume I either forgot it or haven't seen it, but it's fan fiction so who gives a crap anyway.

Ash woke with a jolt, forgetting for a moment that he had slept on Charizard's back and being surprised to see the ground so far below. It was just past dawn and so it was still a little dark. He sat up and stretched, Charizard rumbling a 'Good morning' to him, and Pikachu nuzzled his hand sleepily. "Morning guys." Ash replied, stifling a yawn. He looked out to the horizon for any sign of Cerulean. They had passed Pewter just as he had fallen asleep but the journey over Mt Moon was a long one. Knowing Charizard could fly for days just by riding the currents he had let sleep take him, the heat from the orange lizard keeping him warm. "How are you keeping up, Charizard? Need a rest?" Charizard shook his head proudly and beat his wings a little faster, gaining a short burst of speed. Ash remembered how Gary had told him that almost all Flying-type Pokemon could put half their brain to sleep whilst flying, allowing them to fly almost indefinitely, but still he was impressed.

"We'll be there soon." Ash said to himself as the outlines of buildings on the horizon, their roofs a deep ocean blue. Immediately he thought of Misty; even though it hadn't been long for him he already missed her. He didn't know how she would react, well she'll certainly angry, he thought with a smirk, but after that? He hoped she could forgive him.

His thoughts were broken by a hoarse cry behind him. He twisted around sharply to see a large bird Pokemon gaining on them. The bird was large and brown, with a very ragged look to it, and ash could see a wicked glint in its eyes.

"Row! Fearow!" The Pokemon cried before suddenly tucking in its wings and dropping into a dive-bomb, its beak spinning. Ash opened his mouth but before he could speak Charizard swerved to the left and dodged the attack with ease, the great lizard suddenly as nimble and graceful as a Whimsicott. Ash was shocked for a moment but his battle senses quickly kicked in.

"Alright, nice dodge Charizard. Counter-attack with a flamethrower."

The orange lizard roared and let loose a massive gout of flame, the size of which Ash would have expected from a Blast Burn attack. The blast shot towards the Fearow but it darted away with only a few blackened feathers. It growled in pain, and fired back with an Air Slash which Charizard easily dodged.

"Charizard, that was incredible." Ash yelled. "You're so much stronger." Charizard nodded in approval before diving down towards the ground, then sweeping back up so that they were underneath the Fearow, which was suddenly looking around in confusion. "Alright, take him down with a Fire Punch." Charizard's right fist became cloaked in flame as they shot towards the opponent and, before it knew what was happening, Charizard's fist smashed into the side of its face. The force of the blow knocked the Fearow away and it fell like a stone. Ash watched it disappear into the trees below. "Nice work, Charizard." Ash yelled, giving him a firm pay on his neck. The Pokemon nodded in approval. 'I can't wait to see how strong my other Pokemon have become.' He thought excitedly, imagining the possibilities, but he was cut short by another hoarse cry from below. He looked down and saw the Fearow again, looking severely injured but still speeding towards them. "Damn, it sure is tenacious." Ash said to Pikachu, who was leaning over his shoulder to get a good look.

"Pikaaa." He replied. Ash was ready to call out another attack when the Fearow let out a different cry, this one higher pitched and louder.

"Oh no." Ash groaned, it was calling for help. Almost immediately the air filled with the distant sound of hundreds of flapping wings, like thunder, and Ash understood why this Fearow was so determined: he knew Fearow had an enormous memory for grudges but after all these years it still amassed him that it remembered him from the first day he set out on his Pokemon journey. Ash turned to see hundreds of Fearow and Spearow behind him, closing fast. He gulped in fear, but then smiled; this was a perfect time to test out how the three years had affected his Pokemon.

"Alright, Butterfree, Pidgeot, Gliscor, it's your time to shine." Ash yelled and threw their pokeballs into the air. Each one emerged with its own battlecry. "Alright guys, they are your targets. Go wild." And with gleeful smiles the three Pokemon dived into the fray, tearing through the ranks of bird Pokemon. Pidgeot fired enormous hurricanes that blew the opponents away in a flurry of feathers. Gliscor sent them plummeting to the ground with barrages of Stone Edge. Butterfree flew above them all and scattered great clouds of Sleep Powder, causing many of them to glide slowly to the ground in a daze. Ash was stunned by their strength; they were on a whole new level of power, but the Fearow's numbers were incredible and the three Pokemon were struggling to keep them away. Soaring through the enormous aerial melee Ash could see that none of them were badly hurt, but at this rate it would be death by a thousand cuts. Time for a new plan. "Alright guys, go take a break with a Roost each, good job." The three Pokemon pulled out of their battles and dropped like stones before pulling up just before they hit the ground and landed softly, panting slightly but still ready for more. "Pikachu," Ash said with a smirk "it's your turn." Pikachu jumped from Ash's should to Charizard's head. "You know what to do - take them all out with a Thunder." Ash roared. Pikachu grinned, finally getting to test his strength. Sucking in a breath and tensing as sparks crackled from his cheeks, and the enemy Pokemon zoomed towards their one remaining target, he attacked.

"Pikachuuuuuuuu!" 

From Pikachu came the largest Thunder Ash had ever seen, but then it split into four separate arcs that span around Pikachu's body in a circle, sending out blasts of electricity that devastated the Fearow's ranks. In seconds hundreds of them were blown from the sky and their cries of pain were deafening. The attack didn't stop, though. The lightning arced between each Fearow and Spearow that was still untouched, and for a moment the sky was filled with a beautiful light show. Just as suddenly as the attack had come it stopped, and Ash watched the enormous cloud of charred Pokemon fall silently to the ground. Pikachu, with a cry of delight, turned to Ash and gave him a thumbs up.

"Pikachu, that was amazing." Ash said as he caught the mouse in a hug. "I can't believe how powerful that was."

"Pika!" Was the proud reply.

Charizard circled to the ground and Ash dismounted, grabbing the five Pokemon in a group hug.

"I can't believe how strong you guys are. When we get to cerulean I'm gonna buy you guys more poke puffs than you could ever eat." Ash declared with a grin. The Pokemon cheered. "Alright, I think we'll walk the rest of the way, but you guys can stay out of you want." Both Pidgeot and Butterfree tapped their pokeballs on Ash's belt and disappeared in a red light, but Charizard and Gliscor remained, Gliscor nuzzling up to Ash playfully. "Hey, easy now." He responded, laughing."

"Fearrr..." Came a strangled call from behind him, and Ash broke away from Gliscor. Turning around he saw, unbelievably, the same Fearow from the start of the battle, crawling towards him, pulling itself forward. It's feathers were badly charred and the end of its left wing was twisted out of shape, but Ash could still see that wicked gleam in its eye.

"Seriously!?" Ash yelled, incredulous. "You're still going after all that?"

"Fearr..." The Fearow was on its last legs but it still wanted to keep going, holding itself up through sheer force of will. Ash was impressed. Charizard moved to attack but Ash waved at him to stop. "Wait," he added "I don't think he wants to fight anymore." Ash stared at the Pokemon, watching it calmly as it shuffled closer, stopped a few feet away. Slowly, painfully slowly, it drew itself up to full height so that it was taller than Ash and cared directly into his face. Ash flinched slightly but kept staring it straight in the eye. For a moment there was silence as they stared at each other, dark brown eye meeting deep black. Neither moved, other than Ash's hair in the slight breeze, and then, with surprising grace, the Fearow lowered its head to below Ash's and tilted to one side, exposing it's neck. Ash was no expert but it was clearly an act of submission. Ash slowly raised his hand and placed his hand on the Pokemon's dirty brown feathers, making it twitch, but then Ash started to pet it and it slowly relaxed, letting it's head drop and cawing softly. Looking at the raggedness of its feathers and the lines under its eyes, Ash could see that the Fearow was very, very old to be leading a group; the fact that he was still in charge marked him out as an exceptionally strong Pokemon.

"You're old, and you've had a tough life, but you're still going strong despite it. I respect that." Ash spoke softly so that only the Fearow could hear; a proud Pokemon like this would not like to be talked about in front of other Pokemon. "I'm sorry about your wing, I know you have a grudge against me but I didn't mean for that to happen. If you like I can catch you, and send you to a Pokemon ranch back in Pallet Town. No other Fearow with be able to say it was out of weakness after I beat your entire flock. You can retire proud, with dignity."

The Fearow seemed to weigh this up in silence, before slowly nodding gently. Ash pulled out a pokeball but then looked at the broken wing again. "Gary can heal you properly at the ranch, but if I capture you with your wing like that it will only make it worse. I'm going to have to set it in place." He pulled out a full restore and sprayed it over the elderly Pokemon. It stayed quiet the whole time, staring up at Ash with hope in its eyes. "This is going to hurt badly, but you're going to have to bear with it." The Fearow nodded and Ash placed his hands on its wing; one at the end and one halfway down. "On three. One." He snapped the bone back into place. The Fearow screamed in agony and surprise and snapped its beak down on Ash's right arm out of instinct. Charizard roared in anger and moved to teach the bird a lesson but Ash stopped him with his other arm.

"No." He said through gritted teeth. "It's fine." Slowly the Fearow's beak released his arm as its pain receded and, realising what it had done, nudged Ash with it's head as an apology. "It's ok." He replied. "It's just bruised." He pulled the pokeball back out. "Enjoy retirement, Fearow." The bird Pokemon let out a soft caw as Ash tapped it with the pokeball and it disappeared inside. Since he already had six Pokemon with him the pokeball shrunk and disappeared. Ash let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and turned back to Charizard, Gliscor and Pikachu. "Well that was interesting, but we should probably get going, we don't want to waste the day." Examining his badly bruised arm he began walking away. Not really sure what to make of the situation the three Pokemon exchanged looks before following in tow, occasionally stepping over an unconscious Spearow.

Cerulean City loomed in front of them. Charizard and Gliscor had returned to their pokeballs so Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, blended into the crowd comfortably. Ash smiled and took a deep breath, the familiar ocean breeze from the Cape filling his lungs. The city was bustling, in fact it was crowded; more so than before. He looked around, trying to work out the cause. Was it market day? A street fair? He couldn't remember. Looking at them closely they didn't even seem like locals - most of them wore rough, dirty clothes and carried huge bags. They moved slowly towards the city centre, following directions from several Officer Jennys. Ash frowned. Were these...refugees? He walked up to one Jenny who looked less busy.

"Uh, excuse me," he said catching her eye "where have these people come from?"

The Jenny frowned. "Have you not seen the news recently?"

"I've been, uh, travelling."

The Jenny stared at him, but then grunted in dismissal and turned back to directing the crowd. "Another Rocket attack in Saffron City. Turns out they had a power base in a building called Silph Co. and used it to take control of half of the city. More and more are fleeing the area each day, and we have to find somewhere for them. Last I heard Sabrina was holding the defence."

Ash stood there in shock. Team Rocket wasn't wasting time. He turned away and walked down the street, thinking. He had to get down there quickly; Sabrina was strong but she couldn't hold the city on her own, but then, would he really make that much difference? No, he couldn't think like that; if Dialga had that much faith in him then he had to as well. With renewed vigour he headed towards the gym. Not much had changed in Cerulean; a few buildings were bigger, some had been replaced by different shops, but generally it was the same, and so it was easy to find his way. Soon he found himself outside the Cerulean gym; it was identical to how he remembered it, although for somewhere that did water shows it didn't look very busy. All the posters were from at least a year ago and there were very few people around. Maybe Misty's sisters were travelling again. Maybe Mosty was. He hoped not.

Ash stood in front of the huge double doors, trying to fight off a burbling nervousness in his stomach.

"If we know Misty," Ash said to Pikachu "then at first she will be really happy to see us but then she'll think about it, get angry and" he gulped "get her mallet out."

"Piiii." Pikachu replied nervously. Ash sighed; talking about it didn't help, and while he was nervous he was also excited, hopeful and worried as well. Tentatively he pushed the door open and walked inside. In front of him was a reception desk and a few chairs against the wall. No one was there apart from a girl at the desk, who Ash recognised as one of Misty's sisters but he wasn't sure which. He walked up to her.

"Uh, I'm here to see Misty."

The sister, whichever one it was, didn't look up from her magazine. "Here for a battle? Just head through the door, she's in one of the tanks." Rather than try and explain himself Ash just headed for the door; he got the feeling she wouldn't have listened anyway. He pushed the door open and walked through; the arena had changed quite a bit. Whereas before the tanks rose up from the ground someone had dug down and extended them, adding a lot more depth. Ash now stood on a metal walkway about halfway up one of the tanks. He could see why they did it as several water Pokemon swam past gracefully, and noticed that some were new - from regions further than Kanto and Johto. Misty had clearly expanded her collection while he was gone. He took the steps up to the top of the tank and looked around; Nobody was here. He walked along the walkway that led around the large tank, looking for another door, but then a large shape under the water caught his attention, and his eyes darted downward. Below him an enormous, serpentine shape speared through the water, it's deep azure scales glimmering as it passed. Ash stared at the Gyarados for a while as it circled the tank until he noticed a human form on its back, an unmistakeable shock of orange hair on the person's head. Ash stifled a gasp; suddenly he had no idea what to do, he just kept watching her, trying to summon any helpful idea, but it was lost amid a tide of 'what if?'s.

Mercifully, he eventually thought of something; remembering how Misty had once explained that sound travels differently underwater he stuck his hand into the water and knocked on the wall of the tank. Immediately the Gyarados changed direction and headed towards he other end of the tank. As it reached it the form of Misty detached from it and rose towards the surface. Ash's heart started to race nervously. He stood, unable to move, as she reached the surface and climbed out on the side. Immediately grabbing a nearby towel she started drying her hair.

"Here for a battle?" She asked, her voice muffled by the cloth. Ash gulped; she hadn't even looked at him yet and the towel was blocking her vision. She sounded happy, which relieved him. Suddenly his mouth was very dry, he gulped again and opened it to speak.

"Uh, no, that's not why I'm here."

Misty froze mid-towelling at the sound of his voice. Slowly, very slowly, she lowered the towel to around her shoulders, straightened up and turned around. Their eyes met across the tank, Ash's full of joy, Misty's full of a thousand conflicting emotions, and they stood there in silence.

"Ash?" Misty finally said, her voice almost breaking at the word.

Ash smiled, giving her the best smile he could.

"Hey Misty."

Phew, finally got this chapter done. The whole Fearow thing was just me wanting to show Ash had developed more emotionally over the years as I want to make him a little less blockheaded at this age. Anyways, let me know what you think :)


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